Rottapharm is a multinational pharmaceutical group with an Italian investment base. It is headquartered in Monza, near Milan. The Group commercializes its products in over 60 countries in the world through its own branch offices and sales organizations. In Italy, Rottapharm is a leader in rheumatology (with products for treatment of arthritis) and gynecology (in the field of personal hygiene and menopause). A sales force that directly visits chemists' shops further strengthens their market leading position. Pentax Technologies Europe announced the implementation of 17 Pentax PocketJet II printers at Rottapharm, a renowned Italian pharmaceutical firm. Rottapharm manufactures a popular product line called "Saugella", which is a sales leader in the personal hygiene section of chemists' shops. Rottapharm's sale team will utilize the Pentax PocketJet II as a high quality portable solution for thermal direct printing. Rottapharm is currently the only pharmaceutical company in Italy whose sale force actively uses portable computer equipment to conduct on-site order management at chemists' shops. Every agent is equipped with a briefcase that includes a complete mobile solution for conducting sales-related business visits: a pen computer, model ST3400, produced by Fujitsu-Siemens and the PocketJet II thermal printer from Pentax Technologies. These technical solutions were chosen on the basis of high performances while maintaining minimal footprint. During their evaluation of portable printers, the project team at Rottapharm immediately focused on the PocketJet II. It quickly became their first choice thanks to the compact 25,5 cm length, and its lightweight qualities - just 500g including batteries. Rottapharm also felt comfortable with their selection of the Pentax printer because it was recommended by Ellipse, a reseller specialized in mobile computing and official Pentax Technologies distributor for Italy. Ellipse is a trusted supplier who provides Rottapharm with the order management software used by their sales agents. "Pentax was the first company whose product directly addressed our needs," says Adriano Marrocco, Rottapharm IT manager. "For high quality thermal printing, the PocketJet has a low cost of ownership, because it doesn't use cartridges. Moreover it's small and compact, yet incorporates all the desirable print characteristics available with this technology. The added value is the clarity and readability of printed documents. We can also print clear and legible A4 documents that include our company brand, unlike other printers that do not have this capability. Thanks to the PocketJet's specifications, it is possible to include a variety of information about Rottapharm in the document, including important details like customer service contacts." Alessandro Orano, Sales Director Rottapharm, summarizes the positive factors that led to their choice of the PocketJet. "Weight, low cost of ownership, simple maintenance, and ease of use were the key criteria for our decision. But the minimal footprint was also an important consideration for our sales force. We now have a compact mobile solution that is easily transported, enabling our sales agents to visit the 8000 chemists located all over the country. I'm proud to confirm that we are the only company in this field that can provide the chemist with A4 printed documents which are completely legible, have a high-quality professional appearance, and contain all information pertinent to the sales order." Rottapharm successfully implemented the Pentax PocketJet II in 2002 and the usage continues to expand. Currently, half of the sales team uses a Pentax thermal printer. Rottapharm has forecasted that by the end of 2004 their entire sales force will be equipped with a PocketJet II printer.
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